Citation Medical Corporation

Sofamor Danek Properties, Inc.

Michael Lafferty

Daniel Steven Kline

Charles S Slemon

A hand-held portable arthroscope has a housing and a disposable cap removably attached to the distal end of the housing. A probe which includes a fiber optic image guide and a plurality of optical illuminating fibers is mounted on the cap, and is insertable into a body for imaging the internal structure of the body. The illuminating fibers extend through the cap and are connected in light communication with a quartz halogen lamp for illuminating the internal body structure being imaged. To gather light from the illuminated internal structure of a body into which the probe has been inserted, a GRIN rod is attached to the distal end of the image guide. Focussing optics are mounted in the housing in light communication with the image guide. These focussing optics are axially movable within the housing for focussing the image from the image guide. Light which passes through the focussing optics enters a camera head which is also mounted in the housing. The camera head is in turn electrically connected to a video display device for producing an image of the internal structure of the body.

Portable arthroscope with disposable probe

A disposable arthroscope for examining the interior of a joint and for carrying out diagnostic and therapeutic procedures within the joint includes an elongated needle and a cap housing which has a base plate. The proximal end of the needle is mounted on the cap opposite the base plate, and the distal end of the needle extends outwardly from the cap. The needle is a hollow tube which surrounds an image guide and a bundle of illuminating fibers that extend through the tube. A lens is attached to the distal end of the image guide and is slightly angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the needle. The proximal ends of both the image guide and the bundle of illuminating fibers extend from the proximal end of the tube and through the cap for exposure at the surface of the base plate. The base plate of the disposable arthroscope is engageable with a camera and with a light source to position the camera in light communication with the image guide, and to position the light source in light communication with the bundle. With these engagements, the combination of disposable arthroscope, light source and camera generate a visual display of an object that is illuminated by the light source through the bundle of illuminating fibers.

Portable arthroscope with periscope optics

Disposable arthroscope

A hand-held portable arthroscope has a camera assembly and a disposable scope assembly rotatably attached to the distal end of the camera assembly. A probe which includes a fiber optic image guide and a plurality of optical illuminating fibers is rotatably mounted on the scope assembly, and is insertable into a body for imaging the internal structure of the body. The illuminating fibers extend through the scope assembly and are connected in light communication with a quartz halogen lamp for illuminating the internal body structure being imaged. To gather light from the illuminated internal structure of a body into which the probe has been inserted, a GRIN rod is attached to the distal end of the image guide. The image guide is bent near its distal end to offset the axis of the GRIN rod from the axis of the camera assembly, to enhance the field of view of the arthroscope when the scope assembly, which supports the image guide with GRIN rod, is rotated. Focussing optics are mounted in the camera assembly in light communication with the image guide. These focussing optics are axially movable within the camera assembly for focussing the image from the image guide. Light which passes through the focussing optics enters a camera head which is also mounted in the camera assembly. The camera head is in turn electrically connected to a video display device for producing an image of the internal structure of the body.

Growing community of inventors

Leucadia, CA, United States of America

Michael Lafferty